Wire-twisting machine



RLRWB WIRE TWISTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8,1919.

1,336, 1 59. Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

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REYNOLD JLRICE, OF WATERLOO, IOWA.

WIRE-TWISTIN G MACHINE.

Application filed May 8, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, RnYNoLD J. Bron, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Vaterloo, Blackhawk county, Iowa, have inventedcertain'new and useful Improvements in VVire-Twisting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wire twisting machines, and the object of my improvement is to supply a machine of this type with coacting controllable devices adapted for operation in conveniently and quickly performing wire twisting of any desired kind.

This object I have accomplished by the mechanism which is hereinafter described and claimed, and which isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a-sideelevation, with parts broken or-sectioned away, of my improvedwiretwisting machine, and Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail view, in cross-section, of the belt-tightening device. Fig. t'is an enlarged top plan view, in detail, of the o0- acting wire-holding and twisting device of said machine. Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively rear and front elevations of'the Wire holding device.

Similar numerals of reference denotecorresponding parts throughout the several views. 7

The moving parts of my machine areoperatively supported upon-a frame 33 which may be of any'desired type.

The numeral 21 denotes a rotatable longitudinal shaft supported in a pair of like longitudinalspaced bearings 8d and 35 upon the top'of said frame, to have its forward end projecting forwardly over the frame and therebeyond. Between said bearings a belt-wheel 36 is fixed on said shaft and rotated by means of a driving-belt 37, which is loose upon said wheel except when tightened by a device presently to be described.

The numeral 23 denotes an annularly grooved sleeve mounted upon said shaft mediately anterior to the forward bearing 35 slidable non-rotatably upon a spline 22.

The numeral 32 denotes a fixed hollow shaft secured between the two rear legsof said frame and the rear ends of a pair of like rock-arms 31 and 4C7 are pivotally mounted thereon,'and provided at their forward-ends with forwardly extending pedals. Helical tension springs 18 and 49 are connected between said rock-arms respectively Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

Serial No. 295,749.

and a cross-beam of said frame immediately thereabove. These springs tend to retam said rock-arms in their uppermost positions.

A rock-shaft 28' is set across the upper part ofthe frame, and fixed thereon is an arm 27 carrying a fork 26, whose members enter the annular groove in the sleeve 23. An arm 29 extends fixedly from the shaft 28 at a right angle to the arm 27 and its forward end is pivoted to the upper end of an arm 30 whose lower end is pivotally-connected to the rook-arm 31.

In opposite sides of the sleeve 23 are longitudinal grooves between longitudinal pairs ofribs 2d, and at the forward parts of said grooves are rollers 25 pivoted between the ribs.

The numeral 18 denotes a pair of semicircular clamping-members positioned about the forward portion of the shaft 21, and have oppositely-extending orificed lugs 17, secured together by pivot-bolts 16.

The numeral 13 denotes a pair of leverarms extending longitudinally along opposite sides of the shaft 21, and medially pivoted on the pivotbolts 16. The rear ends of these arms 13 are diminished and formed slopingly outwardly from the shaft 21, and enter-the grooves between the ribs 24 of the sleeve 23 and bear outwardly against the rollers 25. The grooves have outwardly sloping inner walls for the arm ends 20 to slideover.

The forward ends of the arms 18 are curved toward each other and have flat parallel spaced terminal parts 1%. Upon the opposite faces of said parts 14 are placed rectangular plates 11, and said plates and parts 11 andl i are secured together by screws 15, to permit replacement of the plates 11 by others of different thicknesses, when it is desired to vary the interspace of the plates 11, the latter constituting clampingor vise jaws.

The numeral 38 denotes a rock-beam positioned along the frame 33 longitudinally and :hinged thereto ly hinges 39. An arm 13 is fixed on this beam and extends over the top of the frame transversely and be neath the shaft 21, and has a fixed extension 45, the arm-part 13 having its extremity bent upwardly to provide a stop 44. An arm 16 is pivotally connected between the extremity of the part 45 and the rockarm 47.

An arm 40 is fixed upon the rock-beam 38,

extending upwardly, and upon its upper end is fixed a bearing body 41 between whose arms is pivotally mounted a roller 42.

A bracket 50 extends forwardly from the frame 33 on one side and carries an upright 10, the latter supporting a table 12 terminating at one site in an ofiset part 7 extending upwardly and whose upper edge is but little below the axis extended of the shaft 21. Upon this part or slideway 7 is slidably and removably mounted a channel-bar 6. As shown in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive, a wireholder is pivotally mounted upon said channel-bar 6 by means of a pivot-bolt 5, the holder being triangular and comprising top and bottom plates 1 and 3 of triangular form positioned above and below a triangular plate 2, the latter being of smaller dimensions, thus affording a peripheral channel all around the device. The plate 2 is a true triangle, but the apices of the other plates 1 and 3 are truncated. For convenience in adjustments to give clearance for different sizes of wires and to permit replacement when worn away at the tip, as shown in Fig. 4, the top part 1 of said holding device may have a removable part 4 secured thereon by said pivot bolt 5.

The method of twisting a pair of wires together is disclosed in said Fig. 4, wherein abutted parallel extremities of the wires 8 and 9 are firmly clamped between the viseplates 11. This clamping is effected by depressing the rock-arm 31, which, by means of the connections 30 and 29, rocks the shaft 28 and the bifurcated arm 27 to shift the sleeve 23 forwardly causing the diminished extremities 20 of the arms 13 to ride outwardly slidingly over the sloping grooves between the lugs 24. This rocks the arms 13 to cause their clamping members to approach each other. The forward parts of the wires 8 and 9 are placed in the side channels or grooves between the upper and lower plates of the sliding holder. It will be noted that the channeled part 6 is manually manipulated by sliding to and fro along the slideway 7, and the wire holder above it may be rocked to and fro transversely on ts pivot bolt 5. This permits a very free and varied control of the wires 8 and 9 while they are being twisted together. The twisting is effected by placing the shaft 21 in rotation. When the machine is not in operation, the coiled spring 49 keeps the foot-lever 47 in its upper position so that the connections 46 and 45, as will be seen by referring to said Fig. 3, rock the arm 43 upwardly to engage its terminal lug 44 with one of the rock-arms 13. The rocking of the arm 43 also rocks the beam 38 and the arm 40 outwardly, causing the roller 42 to release the loose driving belt 37, whereby the belt-wheel 36 is simultaneously prevented from rotation. As the foot lever 31 is also in its upper position, caused by retraction of the spring 48, the connection between said lever 31 and the bifurcated arm 27 have moved the sleeve 23 rearwardly thus releasing the ends 20 of the arms 13 by the sliding action of said ends under the rollers 25, spreading apart the clamping-members 11. When the approximated ends of the wires 8 and 9 are inserted between said clamping-members the wires being seated in the side channels or grooves of the holding device 12-3 divergently, and both foot levers 31 and 47 depressed, the connecting means to both the clamping arms 13 and to the rock beam 38 are reversed whereby the clamping-members 11 are caused to grasp said wires while the nearly simultaneous rocking of the arm 40 causes the roller 42 to compress the driving-belt 37 to rotate the belt-wheel 36. This causes the wires 8 and 9 to become evenly twisted about each other, as shown in said Fig. 4, for the wires are so positioned in the holding device 12-3 as to converge at like angles toward the axis of the rotating clamping means. Since the holding device 1-23 is pivotally mounted upon the slide 6, it may be rocked from side to side as may be convenient or expedient during said operation or in the manipulation of the wires for different forms of structures.

The mechanism for resiliently controlling the movements of the clamping members and also the means for resiliently controlling the rotation thereof, may be varied without departing from the principle of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In mechanism of the character described, rotatable clamping-means, a slideway alined therewith, and awire-holding device slidable on said slideway, said device being formed of a triangular body of less dimensions than and positioned between spaced plates, one plate being sectional with in {apical section removably mounted on said or y.

2. In mechanism of the character described, rotatable clamping-means, mechanism for rotating said clamping-means, a wire-holding device movable to and from said clamping'means and having conduits for movably receiving wires, resilientlycontrolled connected elements for actuating said clamping-means, and means for releasably locking said clamping-means in one position.

3. In mechanism of the character described, rotatable clamping-means, mechanism for rotating said clamping-means, a wire-receiving device movable to and from said clamping-means, resiliently-controlled connected elements for actuating said clamping-means, and resiliently-controlled means mechanism for simultaneously locking said for releasably locking said clamping-means clamping-means against rotation releasably 10 in one position. and preventing said rotating-means from r0- 4. In mechanism of the character detating said clamping-means. scribed, rotatable clamping-means, means Signed at Waterloo, Iowa, this 22nd day for rotating said clamping-means, a Wireof April, 1919. receiving device movable relatively to said clamping-means, and resiliently-controlled REYNOLD J. RICE. 

